


Fools on Parade

by CephissoFics



Category: Alex Turner - Fandom, Arctic Monkeys, MATTLEX, matt helders - Fandom
Genre: Black Treacle, Bodyguard, Clubbing, Corruption, Drugs, Electricity, Heartbreak, Joining the Dots, M/M, Mattlex - Freeform, Police, Prelude, Scrapyard, Suck it and see, The Beatles - Freeform, Time Jump, beads of sweat, dedicated FF, echoes of a fairy tale, evil twin, first smut evr, mechanic, motorcycle, music video inspiration, she loves you, the living end, thunderstorm, white noise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-05 03:53:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12786384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CephissoFics/pseuds/CephissoFics
Summary: Matt comes from a difficult family background, his father is a violent man who seems to have no love left for his family. It gets to a high point when Matt is sentenced to 6month in prison.After his release he doesnt really know what to do with himself. He doesnt really believe in anything anymore, until he meets Alex one night, while saving him from a difficult situation.The two quickly become friends, even though Matt had fallen in love with Alex on first sight.





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Esparafuso](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esparafuso/gifts).



> A warm welcome to my first Mattlex FF ! :)  
> As some of you might have seen already I dedicate this one to the lovely [Esparafuso ](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Esparafuso) .  
> I really hope you like it Gabi ! ♡  
> Also! Thanks to her idea I made a small playlist, suited to the Prelude you are about to read! (Just click on the Name it will lead you there ;) :  
> [Fools on Parade BGM Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9hu_W-WCo5Qq_N7BhHOA8-py0Ap8z_Ed)
> 
> That's all! I hope you enjoy the prelude! ♡

Matt never thought that his decision going out that day would change his life. It would just be too cliché. He had just been released from a short sentence he had gotten for mayhem. He hadn’t fought the conviction, even his own father had filed it against him. It had been one of the nights he had been caught up in rage just over nothing, attacking and beating Matt’s mother. Matt was used to this situation, even when he was still a toddler his father and mother always fought. It was also around this time that he had found out that he wasn’t planned at all. His mother had cheated on her husband. She got pregnant from another guy, who just took advantage of her confused mind at the time. However he didn’t want her anymore, after he found out that she was expecting a child. Matt’s father however had taken her back, supported her, even he knew the baby wasn’t his. Matt knew that this was the only reason she stayed with him, because she knew he would always take care of her, even he started abusing her on a regular bases after that. It was damaging for a child to know all this, to find out while not even being 10 years old, and it made him promise himself that he would never end up like his father, he would make sure that no one would get hurt under his watch. This promise made him step in that night, placing himself between his parents. It didn’t make his father stop, so the young man finally took all his courage and hit back.

Normally the police would believe the wife and son, but his dad was an ex-cop and his mom too scared to turn on her husband and so he got sentenced to 6 months in prison. It hadn’t been half as bad as he had imagined it though and so the time had passed quickly. Letters from his mom had helped him staying focused on getting released and doing something with his live afterwards, however after he was finally free the letters had slowly stopped. In her last letter she had told Matthew that she loved him dearly, however she had asked him to not return home, his father hadn’t attacked her after Matt got arrested and she wanted to keep it that way. So Matt hadn’t gone back to his parent’s place, he sometimes felt quite lonely in his dilapidated one-room flat, but he would do everything for his mother.

*

Being out was exactly what he needed, thankfully no one knew him around here, he had moved, taking advantage of the anonymity of the big city. He hadn’t found a new job yet, so he was glad he had saved up almost all the money he had earned before getting arrested so he now could live freely, at least for a while.

After strolling around a little he decided on a pretty new looking club. It was already late and so the line wasn’t too long. The interior of the location was modern but also gave the atmosphere of nostalgia in one way or another. Matthew had sat himself at the bar ordering an “old-fashioned” while observing the people dancing their worries away. His second refill of the drink wasn’t even half done when something caught his eyes. An old looking twat rubbed and pushed himself on a much younger fellow, who obviously did not enjoy it. It caused an inner conflict in him, flashbacks of the night he was arrested flickered in front of his inner eye. Should he help?

He couldn’t even finish his thought as his legs already moved over to the scene. A few people had already taking a step back, distancing themselves from what was about to happen. However Matt was no one who just hits, maybe the guy was just too dumb to see that he wasn’t appreciated. ‘Ok, no problem. Let’s just see what’s going on here.’ he told himself, planning on sorting the situation out in a calm manner. “Excuse me, Sir?” he addressed the old lad loudly so he was sure to be heard, however before he could say anything else he felt a strong punch to his temple. He had not expected that reaction and such power behind that old pervert’s façade. As Matt looked up after taking a step back from the blow to his face he saw the old bloke had grabbing the younger ones wrist, trying to force him to come with him heading to the toilet area. “NO, PLEASE..” the younger lad had cried out, stumbling and struggling to keep up. That was it, the last spark it took to start the fire in Matt, he saw where the dude was heading to and couldn’t let this happen. It didn’t take him to long to follow them, and his decision had been made just in the right time as it turns out. Arriving at the washrooms he already saw the old twat pinning the young lad to the wall, forcing himself on to him. Right before his disgusting lips could touch the fair skin of the young stranger Matt steps in, pulling on the man’s shoulder, dragging him back. He dodged another swing from him before using the startled state of the attacker to grab the young lad’s wrist, dashing for the exit.

*

“Wa…wait.” A faint voice begs behind Matt. He doesn’t even know how long he was running for, but looking back he realizes that they are out far enough and so he stops. Both of the young man breathe heavily before looking at each other for the first time. They both had been too busy dealing with the bloke back in the club. “Fa..fank you.” the delicate man breathes out while supporting his hands on his knees. “My pleasure.” Matt counters with an exhausted smile. “Ye condition is awful for being tha’ skinny.” he then tries to lighten the mood. To his delight it works, making both of them laugh. “ ’m Matt by the way.” he introduces himself. “Alex” the other answers while holding out his hand, still smiling endearingly. “Ya ok, mate?” Alex than asks signalising to his own temple. It takes Matt a short second to realise what he means. He had almost forgotten, that he got hit, “no biggy” he simply replies.

They both had decided that the night was way too young be over and so they had dropped down in a nearby pub just a little longer. Matt had never thought, that he would click with someone that fast, he was usually a loner, avoiding unnecessary contact with others. It wasn’t only that however, the smaller lad was quite his type. Despite the fact that his legs looked miles long in that skin-tight black jeans he wasn’t really tall. His slim frame and the mop on his head made him look innocent and almost fragile. Then there were those eyes, darker than the night – seemingly endless deep holes he had to watch out to not get sucked into – and his fair skin created the perfect contrast to them. Matt almost had started to stare and so he quickly clears his throat before taking another sip from his Corona. Though he already had quite a lot of alcohol that evening, he felt as if the adrenaline he had produced while ‘saving’ Alex, had absorbed all of it. And so the two of them sat until the early morning hours drinking and talking, like they knew each other since they were kids. It turned out that they had a lot in common. Both of them loved vinyl records, a media many declare as dead. They even liked the same artist, like Paul Weller and The Beatles, but also more recent stuff like TQOSA or Oasis. Talking about their favourite records and songs, concerts they had visited, realising they even had been on the same ground twice, without knowing. They didn’t feel the time pass, until the clock hit 5 and the pub closed and so they left, wandering the streets, without any set destination, continuing their talk.

Not too long after leaving the location however Alex seemed very tired, it also appeared like the alcohol had his fair share in his ability to walk, and so he had basically hung himself on Matts shoulder. The slightly younger man took the hint that it was time to return home. Even though they lived in Liverpool their homes were located in completely opposite directions. Matt had offered to bring Alex home, not wanting to part from him earlier than needed, but also slightly worried someone could take advantage of his intoxicated state of mind and body. They took a bus nearby which was as good as empty. Sitting in the far back they got comfortable, Al still cuddled onto his new friend. By the time they arrived at the bus stop Alex had told was his, he had fallen asleep on Matthews shoulder, deeply enchanting the later with his scent.

Matt could not bear to destroy such an angelic sight and so he had taken the light-weight piggyback out of the bus. ‘Shit’ just now it came to his mind, that even he knew the name of bus stop he still didn’t know where exactly Alex lived “Hey.. Al.. what’s the address?” he asks almost whispering, not wanting to startle the other out of his deep slumber. “20 Forthlin Road“ he hears the others answer barely crawling out of the older man’s mouth. He finds it cute, although dangerous since it almost seems like anyone could have asked him that, or any other question. However it reassured him in his decision.

Pushing that thought aside Matt now takes a moment to orientate himself, before heading into the “Forthlin Road”. It was quite a nice area, however the first time for him being here. It doesn’t take long until he stands in front of a cute little house, separated from the street by some bushes and an even cuter little gate. ‘There we are.’ Matt thinks, catching himself being disappointed. He was about to get used to the other sleep-drunkenly cuddling with his back. “The key?” he again whispers, turning his head a little to make sure Alex hears him. “Doormat” is all he gets as an answer, enough information to find the key though. It’s quite tricky squatting down with the other on his back, but he manages, opening the door, the other still steady on his back. “Upstairs” he doesn’t even has to ask this time, as Alex already tells him where the bedroom is located. So he quickly closes the door behind them, kicks his shoes off and slowly climbs up the stairs. It’s easier said than done, considering that both of them had been drinking heavily, as well as both of them had stayed up all night.

Luckily they arrived safely in the upper level of the small house. There are only 2 doors so Matt takes a wild guess on which of them leads to the bedroom. He gets it right at the first try and slowly closes up to the bed, first sitting on it, than helping Alex to lie down. After removing the sleeping beauty’s shoes he put the sheets over him.

As he is just about to stand up and leave – he doesn’t feel as if he has the right to stay any longer, even he wishes he could – he feels a cold but very soft hand on his wrist. “Don’t leave.” Matt freezes by this words, spoken with a sleepy but clearly lonely voice. ‘Oh! What are you doing to me?!’ he thinks, afraid to not be able to contain himself if he stays. When he turns around to look at the other he is surprised to find Alex’s eyes open. They reflect the early morning’s sunlight peeking through the sheer curtains and almost rob Matt of his sanity.

*

He doesn’t know how long he has slept, all he knows that his head feels hammered and his stomach is about to eat itself. Slowly opening his eyes he looks around, first confused where he is, then remembering bits and pieces of the last night and early morning. ‘Shit’ he thinks as he sits up, trying to locate the guy from last night. He almost forgot his name, however as he hears the door open his mind clears up in the matter of seconds. A lean frame enters the room, all he is wearing is an incredibly fluffy looking snow-white towel wrapped around his hip, another one hanging over his neck, his hair still dripping wet. “Oh, ya oop. Slept well?” Matt hears the slightly raspy voice of his new friend asking. All he can answer with however is a nod with his mouth slightly opened. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes. ‘Am I dead?’ The angel-like appearance of the other caught him off guard. “What time is it?” he quickly asks, not wanting to make the other feel uncomfortable with his stares. “3pm, almost fought ya dead.” Alex teases him before he passes by the bed, over to a cream coloured dresser on the hunt for some underwear. Matt is fascinated how the seemingly delicate and shy man from the night before now seems so casual in front of him. To his defence, he did drink a lot. “ ‘s there a problem?” he suddenly hears the others voice yet again and finds himself staring right at Alex’s perfectly shaped arse. “A.. I erhm.. gotta go.” he answers, not knowing what else to say. He already hates himself for it, since he doesn’t really have anywhere to be. He has no plans for the day, so there is no need to leave. ‘Idiot..’ he curses himself out before slowly standing up from the bed. However he doesn’t stay for long, suddenly feeling the world spinning around him. It is less likely caused by his immense hangover rather than the hit he had taken to the temple. The alcohol must have covered up his pain, up until now. Not able to think clear he just lets himself sink back down on the mattress. Alex who had been in the walk-in closet didn’t’ register any of this, until he walks out, seeing Matt screwing his eyes shut while holding his head. “Shit, ya alright mate?” the older man asked while quickly moving over to his guest, sitting next to him. “Must ‘ave got me stronger then I fought.” Matt answered slowly opening his eyes to look right into the others. “Maybe ya got a concussion! No way, I’m letting’ ya leave like this. You stay ‘ere. Lie down!” Alex dements with unexpected determinacy, before gently pushing the other back to lie down. “Stay there.” he repeats before leaving the room in a rush.  
*

It took Matt a few days to regain his strength, but with the help of Alex he didn’t really mind. The other had taken great care of him, supplied him with food and painkillers. Even it was only a short time, Matt felt complete, he loved being around Alex, he hadn’t felt this way in a long time. However he knew right away, that he would never be able to make a move on him. He didn’t think Alex was into guys, not knowing Alex thought the same about him. ‘Just being around him is enough, seeing him, smelling him, yes. That’s all I need.’ Matt concluded in his mind while watching the other have his breakfast next to him on the bedside. “ ‘ave to go grocery shoppin’ later, ya ok wifout me for an ‘our?” the older man asked while stuffing the rest of his breakfast muffin in his mouth. “Sure.” is all Matt answers, taking a bite from his own in a slower matter.

*

Matt finally felt better this morning, so after Alex had left he stood up, actually wanting to take a shower, he was wondering how Al could stand the smell all the time, even sleeping next to him. However he was tempted to look around the house a little bit. Alex and he had talked a lot since they both had spent pretty much every moment together since they met. Alex had taken time off from his job to take care of Matt, wanting him to recover as quickly as possible. Even Matt had told him that he was fine and could be alone for a few hours Alex felt as if it was his fault that Matt was injured and so it was his responsibility to “nurse” him back to health. Alexander was a very interesting person for Matt, he seemed so delicate, yet playful and every so often sexy. He wanted to learn more about the other man, and even he knew he shouldn’t he walked around the house, stopping by a few photographs hanging on the wall showing a happy little family posing in front of the house he now was in. He also found Alex’s massive Vinyl record collection and couldn’t help but go through every single one. He was impressed by its variety.

After finishing his little tour through the house he finally ended up in the bathroom, stripping himself from his clothes he had spent days in by now and climbing into the shower cabin. It was an open one, only separating the floor trough a glass wall. The feeling of the first slightly cold and now cosy warm water sprinkling on to his skin was amazing. It felt different than all the times before - Everything did since he met Alex.

*

“Maffew? Matt….?” he suddenly hears his friend’s voice with a hint of terror in it. “ ‘M ‘ERE!” he calls from the bathroom, clearing his location for the other man. It doesn’t take 2 seconds before the door swings wide open, causing Matt almost to fall in surprise. The two of them freeze, staring at each other for a short moment, everything had happened so fast that Matt had no time to snatch a towel in time and was now standing gloriously naked in the wide opened shower cabin. Alex’s eyes couldn’t help but scan the well-built body of Matts, before his cheeks started to heat up and he quickly turned away. He doesn’t want Matt to catch his embarrassment pretty much as Matt doesn’t want the other to catch his. And so the later finally snaps out of it, grabbing for a towel to cover himself. “Fanks god! I fought ya joost left!” Alex explains to him, turning away just a little bit, so Matt can get out of the shower and at least take on his boxers. “Why would I do tha’?” he asks a bit concerned. All those days he had worried to be a burden on the other, not even realising, that Al must be just as lonely as he was. “I don’t know, it’s joost..” all of a sudden the other seemed to get shy, fidgeting with his fingers. “Anyways, good ya stayed. I’ll see if I can find summat ya can wear.” he finally said, before leaving the room.

Alex had brought back a toothbrush for Matt to use while staying over, even in Matt’s opinion his stay was almost over, since he already felt well enough to leave. While brushing his teeth he started thinking once again. ‘Could it be that he doesn’t want me to leave? No, no-no-no that makes no sense, we don’t even really know each other.’ the words of the other just after he had found Matt confused him, he seemed almost scared when he was calling for him. Both of them knew that this living situation was only short-term until Matt felt better. He wouldn’t mind to stay and somehow he got the vibe that Alex felt the same. They got along perfect, clicking with each other as if it was destiny. However, Matt knew he should leave soon, if he didn’t want to ruin what they had. Day after day it felt harder for him to control his feelings and longing for the delicate man, sleeping next to him every night with that angel-like face. Wishing him a heart-warmed “Good morning” every day. Completely lost in his thoughts the tall man was staring into the mirror, not realising that Alex was back. “Erhm..” he suddenly heard behind him, “ ‘ere, ya can try these. And if ya like ‘em ya can keep em.” the other continued.

*

Matt was still lying wide awake long after Alex had fallen asleep. Tear his eyes from the calmly resting face of the other seemed impossible for him. He couldn’t help it but to give into his heart, just that one time and so he leaned over, placing a ghost like kiss on the others cheek. His skin was cashmere-like and Matt promised himself to never forget this feeling, because there wouldn’t be a second time he would ever feel it. He didn’t realise that he was still looking at the others slightly from moonlight touched face until Alex suddenly moved closer to him, adhering onto his torso. I faint smile scurried over his face before he finally gave in his fatigue, falling asleep, while the other rested his head on Matts chest.

From that moment on, despite his resolutions, Matt never wanted to leave Alex’s side again.


	2. Electricity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we are, Chapter 1! :)  
> I can't believe believe that just fizzed out of me in only 4DAYS!!  
> I never wrote a chapter that fast!! o.o
> 
> Just like in the Prelude I made a little BGM Playlist to get in the "mood" while reading ;) (just click the name, it will lead you there :) )  
> [Fools on Parade BGM Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9hu_W-WCo5StxdlefxzwaJmOegPYBo7S)
> 
> I'm very happy with the way the chapter turned ou, which I also want to thank Gabi for!  
> Thanks to her I was able to edit the pieces of the story that were kind of a thorn in my eyes <3

Alex and Matt had gotten consistently closer over the course of the past six month, almost meeting up each and every day, as it seemed that they just couldn’t spend a day without the other anymore. If it wasn’t for Alex Matt would have given up finding a good job for himself and would have become a trash collector, or janitor or anything else the usual ex-prisoner would become. However Alex had made sure to always remind Matt of his know-how and that patience was the key to success. And really just one week later Matt finally got a call-back from a car-service and scrapyard he was hoping to get hired as a mechanic at. Of course the younger man had lost no time to ring his friend, telling him the great news. However as the night fell Matt started to get eaten by self-doubt, there had been just too many times he had gotten excited for an interview, being rejected and crushed in the end. Almost erasing his alarm setting in his phone, to simply oversleep and have an excuse not to go, he suddenly got a message from Alex, asking him how he felt. ‘Telepathy’ Matt thought stunned by the others timing. Since he knew now that Alex was still awake he grabbed his jacket, going on his way to meet the other at his place. He just couldn’t stay alone that night.

*

The morning after had started just as calm as the wine fuelled night had ended, and they had chosen one of their favourite records to play while they waited for Matts cue to leave.

“Al?” Matt asks eyes far in the distance, his mind even further.

“Mhm?” his friend reacts, not really much closer.

“Ya fink I will get it? The job I mean.” Matthew continues slowly coming back to reality.

“I don’t fink so, no.” Alex answers his eyes still fixed on the spinning turntable, before suddenly looking up to the younger man: “ ‘m sure ya’ll get it!” he then goes on, a wide grin decorating his softly from the morning sun kissed cheeks.

Matt who, at first, was a little surprised by Alex’s negative response, considering that he usually is a ‘sunshinekid’, always beyond-reality-positive thinking, now can’t help it but mimicking his best friends wide smile. “Yar fooking wank! Come ‘ere!” he then calls out for Alex, attacking him with tickling fingers until the other grumbles down in giggles.

“Stap…… Maffew!” is all he can express before he needs the remaining air in his lungs for breathing between the laughter. Of course he wouldn’t just give up without any resistance and so he starts a counterattack.

It doesn’t take long until they fall off the settee, they had spent this calm Saturday morning on, rolling on the floor, before they both finally were out of breath, lying next to each other, hearts heavily pounding but still grinning from ear to ear. “Fookin’ ‘ell Maffew! Someday ya will kill me wif tha’ kinda fing!” the older gasps, pushing himself up to support himself on his forearms to have a better view on his friend. Their cheeks are still deeply flushed as they try to regain their normal breathing rhythm.

“Innit time?” Al then asks eying Matt, with a more serious expression. The younger who almost had stared at his friends slightly exposed tummy, his heart wild pounding from excitement and attraction, quickly turned his head, searching for the big clock hanging on the wall.

“Ya right mate.” he then realizes, slowly standing from the floor before offering the other his hand to help him up. “Seriously though, ya fink I can make it?” he asks again, while pulling the older up, searching for reassurance from his best friend as they stay face to face with each other. “Of course! And now fook off!” Alex answers calm, brushing off some imaginative dust from Matts shoulders, heart-warmingly smiling at him.

*

The young man’s heart is heavy, like it got filled with cement, as he leaves the little red-stoned house with the snow-white framed windows and of course the dainty little man with his wild brown locks smiling at him as he closes the gate behind him. “Get ‘em tiger!” Alex calls behind him before waving one last time, watching as the other walks up the hill and shortly after disappears behind the bend of the street.

Matt feels like it took him an hour to get up to the bus stop. The reassurance of the other had helped, but he already had been refused countless times. No one wanted someone who had been in jail, especially not for mayhem. ‘The business already has enough stereo-types.’ ‘We can’t take a thug in.’ they did not care about what actually happened. All they were focusing on was the sentence he had gotten. It already had taken him much longer to find an occupation than he had planned and so his saved up financial resources were slowly running out. He even had to pawn his motorcycle in order to keep up with his rent.

‘Fuck!’ Matthew thought waiting in agony for the bus finally to arrive. Sitting down on the bus stops bench he feels around his pockets for a fag, realizing that he must have left it at Alex’s. He wasn’t really fond of smoking, however in times like this it sort of helps him to calm down. He sighs deeply as he leans back on the backrest, closing his eyes. He takes a moment to recall the last 30 minutes, fooling around with Alex, all worries forgotten in the moment, it had fuelled him with energy and excitement, however now, that he had to face reality again his guts sunk and dragged his mood with them.

As he is almost about to slip into a light slumber, he feels his mobile vibrating in his pocket. A slight smile crosses his lips as he sees that it’s a video message from Alex, telling him how proud he is of him not giving up and trying so hard. He can’t skip out now, not after that message. The timing of the other just hit the spot yet again, almost as on cue to the busses arrival just in this moment.

*

“Bottom oop, mate! ‘m so fookin’ proud of ya!” Alex yells out full of excitement and happiness for his friend. Matt had made it, he finally had succeeded in finding a job. The people holding the interview didn’t really care who he was, or what he had done to this point. Everything they had asked was concerning the job at the car service station, scrapyard and his ability as a mechanic.

Immediately after hearing the good news from Matt Alex had insisted that they had to meet and piss-up together. It almost felt like the time they first had met. Except they now were best friends. They had spent a lot of time together, practically living in each other’s homes. The equal feeling of connection, not only caused by their shared hobbies and interests, but the simple liking in each other had not really accepted any other outcome. “Wha’s the matter? Come on!” Alex whines as he sees his friend starring in the abyss of his margarita they had just used to nudge.

Matt simply had lost himself in the memories of the time they met for the first time, again. The thoughts he had, after looking the other in the eyes for the first time. He thinks about the night they had spent together drinking and talking, just like they did right now. His mind however got stuck on the night just before he had left the house of the older man, after he had been nursed back to health by Alex. Matt tries with all his might to recall the feeling of the velvety cheek Alex’s, the feeling it left on his lips, his heartbeat and the soft moonlight skipping across his sleeping face. He can’t count the times he had thought back to this very moment, wishing he could have stopped time back then. However the more he tried to remember it and the more time passed the more vivid the memories became.

Right there, as Alex is shaking his shoulder, concerned about Matt’s state, he finds himself in a desperate situation. He can’t remember. Everything he had cherished so much over the past months, that had kept him sane, had blurred together to one obscure picture. There was no more heartbeat in his memory synchronising with his own, no moonlight and no soft velvet cheeks freshly kissed by his very lips. Realising this a deep sigh creeps out of his mouth as he lets his head hang low. How was he supposed to keep himself together in front of the other man now? Especially after the countless glasses of alcohol they already had consumed. Deeper and deeper drowning into his thoughts he doesn’t realize how Alex already starts pounting, starring Matt down, with his hands in his sides and thinking of ways to regain the attention of the other. In the older man’s mind Matt should be much more up-beat, happy to finally had accomplished what he was working for so hard the past months.

*

Still enchanted, by his from lime skin coloured drink, Matt does not see just how close Alex had gotten to his face, until he suddenly feels the other’s arm heavily lying over his shoulder, pulling him closer. Startled by the sudden movement he is just about to turn his head, to see what is going on, as he feels a slightly wet pair of incredibly soft lips crushing on his cheek. ‘Oh… my… god…’ his brain squeezes out before getting dangerously close to shutting down with an error 404 warning. Matt is sure he feels his heart stop for a second, his whole body freezing, as he suddenly hears the tipsy giggle of his best mate “Maffew ya so wasted. Who’s me “back-taxi” if ya all outa it yaself?” the older calls out with a frown and much louder than necessary

Matt on the other hand starts to question his own state of mind ‘Did he just..?’ he thinks still in disbelieve. He is sure that he is not even close to being drunk yet, his tolerance is much higher than his skinny friend’s, however the kiss caught him off guard. As his hand slowly finds its way up to his cheek he turns to face Alex, who is still hanging over his shoulder. A short, but sticky thick moment of silence, Matt is sure would be able to be sliced in half, hangs over them as their eyes meet. The light isn’t the best, still he is sure, that he sees a fine rose blush clamber over both Alex’s cheeks, until it finally meets on top of his nose bridge. The hammering of his heart trapped in the cage of ribs inside his chest, makes Matt almost worry it would grow loud enough for the other to hear.

They stayed like this for a brief moment until Alex loses it, running through the crowd heading right to the toilets. Matt, though surprised by the sudden action, had followed him and was now caressing the heavily vomiting man’s back. “Ya ok mate?” he asks for confirmation, not really expecting an answer. He hadn’t had the impression that they had been drinking that much, not more than other times before at least. Matthew feels a worry slowly climbing up his spine and as Alex seemingly finishes Matt doesn’t let an excuse count.

Without any further warning he grabs the slender man by the forearms, while squatting down. With one strong and steady tug he pulls the older up on his back, and despite Alex’s condition the older man winds his legs around his friend securing himself on the younger’s back. It all seems all too familiar, almost causing Matt to slip back in his nostalgia. However he knows there is no time for that now, he doesn’t plan on getting disgorge all over himself so he knows he should move quickly. Thinking about what just happened Matthew finds the situation quite murky. They hadn’t had too much to drink and Alex had seemed fine, just until 20 minutes ago. What he didn’t know was that Alex hadn’t had anything to eat that day since he had been stuck in his own head all day, not able to keep his mind off of Matt who was at the interview at that time. The younger lad starts to get angry at himself, even he was the younger one, he felt like it was his responsibility to watch over the delicate man. Not only because he is his best friend but also because Matt is much stronger than him.

The ride on the bus went well, as the other had fallen asleep almost immediately after they had left the pub. By now Matt has his own key for the little red house and so he unlocks the door, kicks off his shoes and caring Alex upstairs. “Ya need anyfing?” he asks the other after he carefully had pulled the blanket over the olders body. Alex who had woken up just in that moment, however only stares at him, which Matt takes as a no, turning around to leave.

“Ya really ‘ave to go?” he then hears a raspy and little shaky voice behind him, making him stop in his movement. It again was just like the night they had first met, however this time Matt was much more aware of his surroundings. He tried to avoid to turn around being sure of the fact that he would not be able to resist those dewy deep-brown eyes and pouty lips.

After waiting for a moment and still not getting an answer out of his friend, Alex had stood up and staggered his way to the bigger man, leaning on his back for support. “Summat wrong?” he finally asks, his voice cracking along the way. Matt was still in conflict with himself, just thinking about the image of the other standing behind him, unsure of his own limbs, making his heart race rapidly. Alex walks around him, searching for the younger’s face, trying to check what is suddenly going on. The later slowly takes a step back, staring at Alex’s face lit by the moonlight. It’s just like back in the pub, when their eyes had fixed themselves on the others.

The darkness lies on their shoulders like a heavy cover wrapping them in its depth. ‘Now or never’ Alex finally builds up all his courage, gets on his tip toes and kisses the tender lips of his best friend. Electricity instantly seems to fill up his whole body making him deepen the kiss just ever so slightly. All thoughts, doubts and worries had been floated out of his mind, all he feels are Matt’s supple lips, his hands that had like on command found their way on his hips, supporting his inept body. The older man knows all too well, that this move could complicate their friendship to a maximum, however he could not and would not stop there. His longing was finally getting fulfilled.

From the moment they had first laid eyes on each other he had wanted to kiss the younger man. And after receiving a kiss on his cheek from him, he had gotten the feeling that he wasn’t the only one having feelings. Just this morning fooling around on the settee he had come dangerously close to kissing Matt. And now that his mind and body were fogged by the alcohol, audacity had found its way into his veins and he didn’t regret a thing as Matt finally answers the kiss, slightly getting pushed back to the bed. As he feels the edge of the bed poking the back of his knees he grabs Matts collar, pulling the younger with him as he falls backwards on the mattress below him. Not a second after they hand landed on the cushioned ground Matt let his hand travel along Al’s side until it reaches the hem of his shirt, pulling it slightly up to sneak underneath, ghosting along some unexpected abs. A deep growl leaves his mouth moaning into the kiss.

“Mhh.. Maffewww..” Alex pants out, parting his lips from the younger mans.

Just as Matt is about to pull off Alex’s shirt, he is caught by the others aroused stare, pupils dilated and suddenly becomes aware of what is happening. He almost had felt as in a dream until this point, everything he wanted had come true. Here he was, with the man of his dreams, snogging on the bed, about to move into the next stage, what was he waiting for.

‘But, what if..’ it suddenly hits his mind. He realizes what he was just about to do: using Alex’s intoxicated state for his own pleasure. It was exactly what he always tried to protect his best friend from. Now he almost had become that monster he tried to keep away from that angel lying in front of him, eying him down full of lust. He quickly jolts up, balancing himself on his feet before brushing his hand over his face, panicking about what to do now.

“ ’m sorreh!” he mumbled his heart rapidly racing faster and faster in angst, as Alex slowly pushes himself up, now sitting on the bed “Wha’s wrong, come ‘ere.” the older invites him back, however Matt is frozen in place, anxious to grab a solid thought in his chaotic mind. Alex seems to sense that, since he now completely lifts himself off the mattress moving over to his friend, trying to kiss him once again.

“NO!” Matt suddenly bursts out. “Can’t ya see I that was joost about to use ya? ‘m worse than all tha’ pigs out there!” he goes on, pushing the now very confused Alex away from him. “ ‘m…. ‘m sorreh Al….” he once again declares, however in a calmer matter, before storming out the door.

“MAFFEW! Come back! WHAT THE HELL?.... MATT!!” as the last call leaves his lips he hears the front door slamming shut. “Fuck!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys enjoy the chapter? I'm sorry for the cliffhanger. (Or am I? ;p )
> 
> Please feel free to share your thoughts and feelings about "Electricity" in the comments below! <3  
> Constructive criticism is highly appreciated as well! :3 
> 
> Ps: I want to thank everyone for the comments and Kudos under the prelude! The positive resonance made me so happy! 
> 
> IG about background details of the Stories I write: [arctic505_ao3](https://www.instagram.com/arctic505_ao3/)  
> (There are also little teasers and update about the process of my writing :)
> 
> Tumblr: [arctic505-ao3](https://arctic505-ao3.tumblr.com/)


	3. Beads of Sweat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3! And on Dec. the 3rd (a match made in heaven!  
> Like in the Chapters before I link you guys a playlist for some background music - matched to the scenes :)  
> This one is a little short, so I recommend to his the "loop" before starting to read (just click the name and it will lead you there :) )  
> [FOP BGM Chapter 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPvkGPgakwI&list=PL9hu_W-WCo5ROAwyYoTj08jmF_ExBrVEr)
> 
> Also as you can see, this chapter was co-created by my lovely Gabi! She helped me alot editing (this and the last chapter) and also contributed several very nice ideas and prompts! Thanks again Gabi!! <3 (she is also to be found on [tumblr](http://esparafuso.tumblr.com/) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/esparafusoart/)
> 
> ps: Never in my life wrote a chapter of that size XD;;

As the new morning’s sun creeps over the hill Alex is still awake, lying in his bed. He is in the same spot as the one Matt had kissed him in, his forearms shielding his eyes from the gradually appearing beams of light. His chest feels tight, as if a monstrous stone lies on it, pushing him deeper into the mattress. His head is spinning around all the thoughts he had spent the night on. He had been so sure that Matt would return his feelings ‘What if he was just nice? Maybe he just didn’t want to hurt me.’ he knows just how gentle Matt is, he would never do anything that could potentially hurt Alex, he was sure of that. He trusts his best friend. ‘Maybe.. maybe..’ there is no clear thought to grab anymore and so the older pushes himself up.

The dizziness of a restless night haunts his body, forcing him to hold on for a moment, before he finally can rise himself up. His eyes wander over to his nightstand, where his phone lies. There had been no call, no message and no answer. Several times Alex had tried to reach his friend, without success, all he heard was the monotone piep, just before Matt’s voicemail announcement: “ ‘m busy right now, will call back as soon as possible.” Alex could mimic it by heart, but still loved every single syllable of it. Once again he dials the others number, ‘Please Matt,…please..’ but there is no answer. ‘Maybe he is still asleep.’ he tries to convince himself, to ease his heart. It wasn’t like Matthew to not answer his phone, not to call back, just to disappear. Alex can’t bear the uncertainty anymore, he has to go after his best mate.

After fetching his leather jacket Alex leaves his house, in desperate need to calm his troubled heart. As he is about to start his little British-green coloured Mini Mark 1’s engine a horrible thought invades his mind: ‘What if he had an accident?!’ Matt had left in a rush, out into the pitch black night. A sudden haunting of angst creeps over Alex’s spine, he doesn’t want to believe it: ‘That can’t be, god please!’ he thinks before quickly starting the car to drive up to the other’s flat. On the way he once again tries to call Matthew, without a favourable outcome. “Fook” he spits out before throwing his phone on the passenger seat.

*

There is no answer, the doorbell’s ring echoes in Alex’s ears, nothing else follows, no “Come oop mate.” no buzzing indicating the gate being unlocked, just hideous silence slapping the young man in the face. ‘Where are you..?’ he thinks before slowly walking back to his car. He won’t give up just now, he can’t. He feels as in a nightmare, everything just feels so unreal. Just 24hours before they had chilled on his settee, listening to their favourite records. Matt had absently played with his long brown locks. They had fooled around, laughed their hearts out. They had gotten pissed together and then… ‘Oh god, what did I do… he must be disgusted by me.’ frightened by the possible reality Alex lowers his head. He knows he has to do something, he wants to make things right again. I can’t bear the thought of being separated from Matt, from the moment they first met he had fallen in love with the younger man and those calm, yet often playful, ocean-blue eyes, which seemed to understand Alex with just one glance

 ‘I can’t just give up on him!’ Alex ducks down reaching for his mobile, which had fallen on the floor of the passenger side, he sees a familiar figure walking by. ‘Matt!’  
But there is no Matthew, no one walked by, desperation and fatigue had played their games on Alex’s mind.

*

After the sun already set and darkness creeps its way around Alex’s lean shoulders Matt was still nowhere to be seen. He started to feel some kind of justification to use Matt’s flat key. They had exchanged them a while ago, in case of emergencies and also because they basically lived at each other’s places. Slowly the slender man exits his car, walking back over to the tall gate protecting the building. An uneasy feeling in his guts made him fidget with the key for a moment before he finally is able to let himself in. His heart is pounding heavily in his chest as he closes up to the others flat door and opens it. Everything is dark inside, but Alex knows right away that something is not right. As he turns the lights on he is confirmed in his feeling, the whole place is empty. There is no more settee, no more bed or turntable. Everything is gone. Completely in shock he is unable to move, as he stays in the middle of the now abandoned room. Surrounded by complete silence he lets his wide opened eyes scan the room, until they reach his feet. He isn’t sure if he sees right, but by illuminating it with the light of his phone’s screen, he can clearly make out: a small piece of paper, almost completely hidden under his shoe. It seems as if this little note is the only thing left from Matt’s existence and so the older quickly picks it up. “I’m sorry” he reads out loud to himself. “Wha…what?” he askes into the abyss of nothingness, tears that had built up over the past hours now finally overwhelming him. “Maffew…” a soundless cry accompanies the name while his vision slowly blurs, tears start to roll down his blushed cheeks.

‘He can’t be just gone, how.. when..?’ he argues with himself, running out of the building, right back to his car. As he sits down, he feels his whole body shaking, the shock catching up on him. “Maffew…” as he cries for the other, he leans helplessly on the steering wheel, crying his heart out. The tiny trace of hope, he had clasped on was destroyed for good, he couldn’t believe Matt had just disappeared like that.

*

After leaving Alex’s house in the middle of the night the young man had ran all the way back to his flat. He wouldn’t have been able to wait for the bus, he was way too agitated for that. As he arrived home he stood just in the middle of his room for a moment, his heart beating in his throat. ‘I.. I have to leave..’ he thought. There was no other way in his mind. All the way back he was cracking his head to find a solution. It had been too close this time, he almost would have done the unforgivable to his best friend. Although he promised himself he would never let anything like this happen again he couldn’t be sure that there wouldn’t be another day where he wouldn’t snap out of it in time. He couldn’t take this risk. As much as he wants to stand by Alex’s side, he had lost the trust to himself while being around the older. There is no way back for him, he knew it and it threatened to rip his heart apart. Just the thought of not being able to see the angel-like face in the morning anymore, to spent the nights talking with him… there would be no more fooling around, laughing, and it was all his own fault.

Like in a trance Matt started packing his stuff, while calling a little 24h-storage-company he knew from when he had left for jail 6 month prior. Everything was set up in just 30 minutes. It felt ridiculous how easy and fast it was to disappear. Without a trace. ‘I can’t do that.’ he thought weekend by the smile of Alex on his mobile’s background picture, so he wrote a little note “I’m sorry. M” and lied in on the floor, exactly where he was standing, before leaving his flat, locking the door behind him.

As he arrives in a small motel nearby, which will be his home until he found a new place, he doesn’t bother to turn on the lights as he sits down on the sordid bed. Resting his head in his hands, he tries to cease a muffled sob, as hot tears drip down his chin. He never wanted to hurt or offend the other, ever, so he hoped the other would understand, wouldn’t be mad at him and just kept all the good memories of their friendship in his heart.

* * *

Just a few weeks had passed before Alex met Miles, a local musician who seemed to answer all of his lonely heart’s needs. The scouser was having a signing in the record store Alex worked at. The latter was responsible for everything regarding the event, as well as the artists and so Miles and he had started talking.” He felt charmed by the younger and was very impressed by his skills. Miles had brought his guitar and was showing Alex some riffs, teaching him some easy ones along the way. Due to a surprising amount of people showing up to the signing, it lasted longer than anticipated, so Miles invited the whole record store crew for dinner in a nearby diner. The scouser also didn’t miss his chance to ask for Alex’s mobile number and even the older man wasn’t sure if he should, he got overwhelmed by the deluge of compliments by the other and finally gave it out. He wasn’t really Alex’s type, Miles however seemed to had taken a liking in him right from the start.

The singer hadn’t given up, even after being denied over and over again and so one day Alex had assent to go on a date with him. It was a nice refreshment from the loneliness he had suffered from Matt’s absence, which made him susceptible for Miles countless flirt and flatter attempts. Just two months later they were official. At times Alex had an odd feeling of being handled almost as if he was a possession, being treated and perceived as if he was Miles’ little accessory he could show off at parties and promotional events, but he didn’t mind or didn’t bother to think too deeply about it. It seemed like everything was bland, but it was alright, as long as it distracted him from his heartache. Blinded by the fear he would be abandoned again Alex hadn’t noticed -or didn’t want to notice - all the little hints of Miles actual self. All he wanted was not to be alone anymore, not to be reminded of Matt all the time he walked into his house, so he had moved with Miles and rented the house he had inherited from his parents to a cute older couple. Alex even cut his hair, just to forget the feeling of Matt brushing his fingers through it at the times they chilled on the settee listening to long lost rock ’n rolls. He had been so busy trying to forget about the other that he didn’t see the pages on the calendar changing and the seasons passing, until almost one year had elapsed.

Alex thought he was finally happy again, everything he needed in life was answered before he could ask for it. He had left his old life behind him, except for one thing: his job in the small record store downtown. Even Miles had told him countless times that he didn’t need to work anywhere anymore, he had insisted to keep working there. It wasn’t as much for the store or the work he was doing, as for a feeling he had in his heart telling him to stay.

*

Matt have been worked extra hard, he enjoyed it, but that was not the only reason. While repairing machines and cars he felt as if he could escape his mental prison at least for a short while. He and his boss became good friends, being interested in the same sports teams and sharing techniques on fixing up some seemingly helpless bikes had made it easy. One day, a few months after Matt started to work at the repair shop his boss took him aside, telling him that if he would make sure to keep a good eye on the property and would close up the gates at night he could stay in a small room, in the back of the shop. Matt had told him about his living situation, when they shared a beer and his boss finally found a way to pay his best mechanic back, for his great and fast work, as well as the countless new customers who had heard of the fast fix in the “Death Ramps” repair shop. So Matt moved in the next day, finally escaping the motel room that seemed to get smaller with each passing day. After getting his stuff from the storage-company he sat on his settee, starring into a box with a small picture frame, it hold a photograph of his family, back when he was young. His mom looked so happy and he missed her a lot, however as he lost focus of the picture he saw another frame he had forgotten was in this box. It was a photo from the time Alex and he had been in London, sightseeing like some bloody tourists. The image showed them standing in front of the Big Ben, a wide smile on both of their faces. It warmed Matt’s heart, however it made his heart both warm up and ache, he wasn’t sure if he should really unpack this one. Although his mind always seemed to have an answer for his troubled heart, he often found himself in conflict about the fact that he had just run out of Alex's life. Usually in times like these he exercised or worked extra hours as an outlet for his busy mind and loneliness, although deep down he knew nothing would abrogate it

As the night irrupts he found himself once again not being able to sleep, being as his mind got wind up in itself, so he decided to take a walk around the scrapyard. As he was on his way back, the corner of his eye caught something somewhat hidden. As he stepped closer to it, his suspicious were proven to be correct when he found the body of an old busted Honda CB550 motorcycle. It was exactly the model he always wanted, from the time he got his license. For a second he forgot everything, his heartbreak, his worries and loneliness, for one second he was back to his 16 year old self, happy about such a lucky find. Without even thinking twice he took the part, already making plans on how he could fix it up. It took him over 5 month to collect all the pieces he needed to rebuild this beauty of a bike. Some parts he was unable to find in the scrapyard, so he bought them from his boss. Some others he got for free, as kind of a bonus. As he came closer to finish his repairs, it almost felt like by fixing the completely broken machine he would also be able to fix his heart

*

It is Saturday evening when Matt gets out of the shower, ready to hit the road. He had been working all day on his CB550. It was finally done and so he had decided that that was a reason to ‘celebrate’. Matt felt like living out his free spirit; That day made exactly 1 year since he had last seen Alex, and loneliness threatened to drown his heart.

After driving around for a while Matt spots a club he had never seen before. It had a very different atmosphere on what Matt is used to, but he decides to give it a try He sits down on the bar, ordering himself a Corona. He didn’t come with the goal of getting pissed, he is rather interested on the people enjoying themselves around him, hoping to get infected by the mood. The music is right up his alley when it comes to dancing, so he decides to hit the dance floor.

It doesn’t take long until another young man joins him, trying to catch Matt’s attention by dancing as close as possible to him.  Matthew however, is distracted by another fella: a very handsome stranger standing on the side, clearly making the eyes at him. He feels as if he gravitates to the slender man leaning on the wall with a half filled glass of bourbon in his hand. The stranger winks at him, with a smile on his lips. At least that’s what Matt is sure he sees. He approaches the man with the quiff, signalising him to join him dancing. The lean figure accepts, licking his lips suggestively while walking over to Matt. ‘Wow’ is all he can think, as he starts to dance with the amazing smelling stranger.

Chemistry sparks between the two men as their hot bodies start to get closer to another. It feels somehow familiar; although it had been a while since Matt had felt this way, his heart recognizes the mutual attraction. As he grabs the other’s slim hip and pulls him closer, Matt feels the heat traveling through his body and spiralling down.

Eventually the stranger steps back - not in a repelled way, quite the contrary. He keeps a safe eye-contact with Matthew, slowly walking towards the back of the club. It’s almost as if he got hypnotized, as he follows the footsteps of the handsome man. He is not sure if they are even allowed back there, which makes him cautiously look around to make sure they wouldn’t be caught by security. It causes him to shortly lose sight of the other man. He quickly looks back one more time, before entering a door he just in time saw flying shut. By this simple little taste of mischief he feels the arousal in his veins grow stronger.

He is surprised by pitch-black darkness, just before he unexpectedly felt an incredibly soft pair of lips on his own and a cold but delicate hand in his nape. Without thinking he answers the kiss right away, soon deepening the contact by parting the other's lip with his tongue. Matt feels like losing his mind as their tongues entwine in each other. They pant heavily as they part for air, before the strong man’s brain completely shuts itself of, only listening to the longing of his libido. With a sudden movement he slams the other against the wall, pinning him to it. He slowly detaches from the others mouth, roaming it down his neck and scattering kisses along the way.

The stranger moans as if in trance, clawing on Matt’s back. Matt got used to the darkness pretty quickly, giving him the ability to now see the vague figure of the other in the almost sensual feeling of an black and white pictures.. Caught up in the heat he starts to unbutton the other’s white dress shirt, revealing his well-toned chest. His heart was beating wild as he moved his hands down to the other’s belt, opening it with skilled fingers while passionately kissing him. Despite the heat of the moment Matt subconsciously watches out for any signs of withhold, however all he hears is the hot desirous gasping of the other.

He is about to get rid of the stranger’s pants, as he feels the other’s hand on his chest, pushing him back with an unexpected strength. He stumbled back, until he found something that felt like a padded chair or something of that sort and let himself fall onto it. Matt was confused and almost in the thought that he read the other’s intentions wrong, until he saw the stranger kneel down before him fidgeting on his trousers’ zipper with his long fingers. Caught off guard and impossibly aroused Matthew slammed his hands on the arms rests of his seat, clenching on them as if his life depended on it. His breathing gets heavier as the cunning stranger frees him from his pants and lets them sink to the floor. Matthew feared his heart would jump out of his chest as he felt the other’s confident fingers around his shaft, slowly stroking up and down. His touch felt amazing, and only then Matt realized how much he craved someone else's attention. He thought the steady pace couldn't get any better, when he felt the man's thumb tracing the underside, making its way up to his frenulum and rubbing the sensitive spot in lazy circles, while his other hand cupped and massaged Matt’s testicles in a way that made him tilt his head back and grunt in pure bliss “Oh fookin ‘ell” Matt exhaled, caught up in excitement. It had been forever for Matt and he worried to climax too fast, so he grabbed the lean man’s shoulders, pulling him up onto his lap “C'mere!” he groans deeply, hungry to return the favour.

As their lips collide once again, Matt releases the other from his shirt, throwing it on the floor. He had no time to deal with where it landed, as he travelled down the other’s neck once more with his lips and tongue. Reaching the stranger’s nipple he holds on, sucking and licking over it, teasing him. He couldn’t believe how good the other tasted, it was a mix of sweat and a sweetness, a heaven like flavour, he never experienced before. He smirked on the other’s chest as he started to scatter kisses and love bites over the other’s torso, while he unbuckled his belt. He felt the other cramping under his lips, wheezing and moaning, deeply captured in the heat of the moment, desperately clenching onto Matt’s broad shoulders.

It seemed like the temperature around them raised a 100 degree, as Matt took the other’s cock in his hand, stroking it in soft rhythms, before cupping his glans. Beads of sweat started rolling down the lean frame of the man in front of Matt, reflecting light particles peeking through the door cracks as the slender man shivered in frenzy as Matt shortly retracted his hand, only to grab both their members, rubbing and stroking them against each other. The familiar warm smell and feeling of the stranger’s skin played mind games on Matt, making him feel as if he was dreaming, robbing him of his sense of reality. They worked as in a perfect melody, their panting breaths and heartbeats picked up the pulse of the blasting music outside, faster and faster making the stranger moan loudly: “Ah!…Maffewww..”

It takes a second for Matt’s brain to process, he isn’t sure if he can trust his ears, but there is no doubt, there is only one person on this planet calling him like that: “Al..Alex?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot really is evolving and I hope you guys enjoy the where its going!  
> Stay tuned and let me know your opinions in the comments below! <3
> 
> Thank you so much for the comments and kudos under the last 2 chapters! I really appreciate it!! <3!!
> 
> I'm also to be found on [tumblr](http://arctic505-ao3.tumblr.com/) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/arctic505_ao3/)
> 
> THANKS FOR READING!!


	4. Joining the Dots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all I want to thank my lovely Gabi once again, for contributing he creativity and her time to help me get the chapter done.  
> I'm not gonna lie: I wouldn't have been able to do it by myself!
> 
> I hope you guys have at least partially as much fun reading it as we had writing and editing it :D (beef)  
> And of course, here is a playlist to go with the chapter <3:  
> [BGM - FOP Chapter 3](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9hu_W-WCo5T1iSVHWVX_srY3OvuZEsXd)
> 
> Please enjoy! <3

Not even the cheerful crowd at Miles’ new club seemed to cheer Alex up. He remembered exactly what day it was. It didn’t seem as if he could drag his mind off of the date, no matter where he tried to run away to. All the people dancing, the alcohol and music reminded him of the other and what had happened exactly on that day, one year back. He never forgot the look on Matthew’s face just before he ran out, the panic and confusion after they shared a deep kiss. It still broke his heart, after all that time.

He cursed the moment he looked at the calendar in the morning.

A deep sigh crawled out of Alex’s mouth as he kept focusing and defocusing on the perfectly shaped ice-ball in his glass of Bulleit. He kept doing this for quite a while, until he realized that the ice was almost gone. ‘Great’ he thought, looking up to find a way through the crowd to get to the bar.

Then he felt his heart sink to the floor.

‘That’s impossible..’ He almost thought his drink had gone bad, not capable of accepting what he was seeing, as he fixed his eyes on a man looking exactly like Matthew, standing at the bar with a Corona in his hand. Alex tried to reason with his mind: it must be a hallucination, a fata morgana, induced by his lonely heart, longing for the other on that day more than any other. The man’s shoulders where much broader, his arms more muscular and his presence overall so much... cooler. He couldn’t be Matthew...Could he?

The man moved just like Matt; he had this distinctive way to walk, somehow strong and confident. Alex always liked it, it made him feel safe from the moment they first met. His heart started racing as he kept his eyes on the other, who was now in the middle of the dancefloor. The light was weak, making it difficult for Alex to see the other’s face clearly. ‘I have to get closer.’ he decided, before being stopped by his next thought. ‘What if he leaves again when he sees me?’ he worried, while his hand went up to his head, following his habit to curl a lock whenever he was nervous.

It made him realize that there was no lock anymore. His long, wild hair was gone, sometimes causing him to not recognize himself in the mirror. ‘That’s it!’ suddenly his brain worked full speed. If he wasn’t able to completely make out the man’s face in the dim light, it should be the same for the other. Adding his physical change, his short hair styled up in a quiff and his clothes, he was almost sure he should be able to disguise himself well enough to approach the man.

That thought and the curiosity gave him the confidence he needed; however, before he could move, he felt the other’s eyes on him. His heart almost hurt from the tempo it was beating, threatening to stop any second; and before he knew it, they started to flirt, making the eyes at each other. ‘It’s really him!’

Everything around him felt intensified: the lights, the music and the mass of people around them, but he never lost sight of Matthew, slowly coming closer and closer.

The older apparently wasn’t the only one eyeing Matthew down; a very young looking fella started to make his way over to the other. Alex had trouble holding himself back not to storm over to the two men. He felt jealousy boiling up in his veins ‘Come on, I’m right here...’ he pleaded in his mind, and just as he was about to give up, he suddenly felt it, the attention he was longing for so much.

It took all his concentration to not lose his coolness as Matthew started to walk over to him. Subconsciously, he slowly let his tongue glide over his bottom lip, biting down on it afterwards.

As they started dancing he felt Matt’s hand cupping his hip and nearly crumbled under the familiar touch. It felt electrifying, making him lose himself in the moment as if it was his first time.

As their contact got stronger, he tempted the other to follow him into the back room, which  Miles usually used as an office to handle all of the club’s paperwork. He quickly turned off the lights in the room since he didn’t want to take the chance of Matt recognizing him. Not even a second later the other walked in and that’s when Alex could not hold back for another minute. The agonizing longing for his lost friend became too much to bear any further. The older’s brain switched to auto-pilot, only listening to what his heart was crying for.  Without hesitation, he closed up to the other, crushing their lips together in a long awaited kiss.

Before Alex could process what they were doing, he found himself kneeling between Matt’s legs. For the first time he had the chance of touching him in such intimate way, despite the fact he imagined it countless times before. It was hard to believe his dirty dreams would finally come true in a night like that, with the man he desired for so long sitting right in front of him, responding in the best way possible.

Too distracted by the growing moans of the younger man, Alex was caught by surprise when he got picked up as if he was made of air ‘Did he work out?’he thought before being placed on the other’s lap the next moment. Al’s cock started throbbing in anticipation as Matt unbuckled his belt to stroke it. He was extra careful on not giving away his identity and remain as silent as possible, but when he got overflowed by kisses and tiny teasing bites he couldn’t restrain himself from wheezing and writhing under Matt’s tantalizing lips. When Matt took both their cocks into his hand, squeezing and rubbing them together, Alex feels his soul desert “Ah!…Maffewww..”

Alex’s eyes widened as he realized what he just did: he had blown his cover. Time seemed to have stopped for both men, now starring at each other. Alex saw surprise as well as confusion in Matt’s eyes. ‘Shit!’ he almost started to panic, unable to think of a way to get out of this situation; he knew he fucked up. He feared Matt would get upset and leave. He had deceived him, it would be understandable if the other did so.

However Matt’s reaction was nothing close to being negative.

“Ya look so different” even though his whole body tensed up Matt tried to speak as calm as possible. A mix of shock and bliss battled inside his heart, still startled by whom he had before him.

“Ya hate it?” Alex asked, his voice unsure of itself. He nearly doubted his decision of cutting his hair, although it just harvested him the handjob of his life.

“Oh no, not at all, love! Ya look super hot.” Matt ensured him, licking his lips while he caressed Alex’s cheek. The older leaned right in, closing his eyes.

  
“Yar hands got so ruff” as his heart finally relaxed, so did his voice. He sounded almost dreamy now, as if he was about to slip away. “I missed ya so mooch, Maffew. Where ‘ave ya been?” he then asked, opening his eyes again, staring right into the other’s.

Matt, however, retracted his hand, about to avoid Alex’s eyes. “ ‘m sorreh, I… I...” he fell silent, struggling to find the right words.

“Shh.. it doesn’t matter. Now yar ‘ere, and ya won’t leave again, yeah?” the older’s voice was full of hope, as he guided Matt’s stare back to him by lifting his chin with a thumb and forefinger.

  
Not knowing what they were doing their lips met yet again, gingerly pushing against each other and Matt’s heart started to calm down. Although he was still worried that he was just trapped in an illusion, he wanted to take the most out of it. Matt cautiously split those soft lips, searching for Alex’s tongue with his own, while placing one hand on his cheek and the other on his hip.

The older was just about to answer his request as they heard a loud knocking coming from the door: “Mr. Turner?! Mr. Kane is on the phone!” a muffled voice announced, before knocking once again.

“Shit!” Alex’s whispered, before discreetly pushing the other away. “Sorreh, please hide.” he then went on, collecting his shirt from the ground and quickly putting it back on.

If he didn’t answer in the next second the bodyguard would come in and that would be Matt’s end. A lot had changed since the two friends last saw each other; Alex wasn’t free anymore. That fact just hit him while he was fidgeting with his shirt to at least get one button closed. There was no choice for him other than to ignore Matt’s confusion and wave to him to finally get into hiding, before turning the lights back on. The dazzling brightness of the halogen hurt his eyes to a point that he needed to shut them for a second, before finally opening the door. It was just in the right moment, as the bodyguard on the other side looked as if he already got ready to burst into the room.

“Jamie… Wha’s all tha’ fuzz about? ‘m commin’.” Alex’s voice immediately changed with the opening of the door: it fell emotionless, almost cold. Inside of him, however, his heart was beating its way up into his throat and making him dizzy. As he received the mobile, he tried to cover up his nervousness with all his willpower, before finally lifting the small device to his ear and taking a deep breath, then exhaling his boyfriend’s name “Mi!”

>>Is my sugar-bum in a bad mood?<< Alex heard Miles’ voice in the phone; it was obvious he witnessed the preceded conversation. >>Take a shower and fancy up, we are going to a party!<< the musician then continued in a much more determining way, hanging up without waiting for a response.

“Shit..” Alex curses again, giving the mobile back to Jamie, who was still standing there with his eyes fixed on his protégé’s barely buttoned shirt.

“Wha’? Want a piece?” Alex joked, stepping back into the room and closing the door on Jamie’s nose.

Back inside, he now faced another reality. How much he would have loved to just proceed with Matthew... but he knew just too well that it never accompanied a good ending to let his boyfriend wait.

And that was not all: Matt didn’t know that Alex was taken now - a forbidden fruit.

“Who is ‘Mr. Kane’?” the younger asked, as he came out of hiding.  
It was no surprise and still Alex had been hoping Matt wouldn’t ask.

He didn’t really know what to say. Should he be honest and risk the other running out on him? There wasn’t really a reason to lie, since it was Matt who had abandoned him in the first place. Just as he was about to make up his mind, he heard another knock. ‘Miles must have sent a driver…’ he thought annoyed.

“Maffew, ‘m sorreh, I ‘ave to go. I will explain everyfing later, yea?” his eyes were begging the other to accept his words, and so Matt did.

Alex then escort the younger through the backdoor outside, so that no one would see them together. It was hard to say ‘goodbye’ for them, especially considering that they just reunited. “Promise ya’ll call!” Alex pled to the younger man, while kissing him on the cheek after the other agreed. He then slid his new phone number in one of the others chest pockets.

While watching the other leave, he wished he could just run away with him, but he wasn’t that kind of person. He needed to set things straight with Miles first.

As Miles entered his luxurious flat he is greeted by loud blasting Beatles music coming from the living room, where he found a dancing Alex, dressed only in a shirt and underwear.

“He loves you yeah yeah yeah…!” the older sang in his comb he used between lines to style his quiff in front of the giant wall mirror. It didn’t seem like he heard Miles come in, so the singer took his chance to sneak up on his unaware boyfriend.

“It’s ‘she loves you’, love!” he then spoke directly into Alex’s ear, making him jump in surprise.

“Mi..Miles! When did ya?” he stuttered, his heart racing. He realized how lucky he was that Miles didn’t come back five minutes earlier, before he buttoned up his Louis Vuitton shirt, which now hid the love bites he had received from Matt just a few hours prior.

“Finish up, we gotta go.” the younger then interrupted his net of thoughts, before moving to the walk in closet himself and changing into another patterned suit, probably more expensive than 3 months’ worth of Alex’s salary. 

It was already deep in the night when they finally returned from yet another boring gathering of rich pricks, who did nothing but show off their wealth while trying to outdo each other. Alex really did hate those parties he was dragged to regularly. While Miles seemed to already be asleep, Alex was still up. His thoughts and heart were still spinning around Matt, their heated make out session and how said man almost made him lose his mind.

He was finally back in his life, the first person he ever really fell in love with. There was only one problem and that was lying right beside him. Alex was drowning in guilt seeing the peaceful face of his soon to be ex-boyfriend.

Alex needed to make sure that Miles would never find out about Matt and him; he would completely lose his mind, that Alex was sure of.

It was no secret how jealous and possessive Miles could get with what he felt belonged to him. All those thoughts made Alex realize that although they were a couple for almost a year he didn’t really know anything about the other. He was a musician with a lot of money and owner of a nightclub. That seemed to be all, but he was oblivious of Miles’ past, or how he started his career. Even before the day of the signing at the record store he still worked at, Alex had never heard of him.

Suddenly everything felt very strange and it made him nervous to a point that he couldn’t stay in bed any longer. Standing up and wandering around the spacious flat, he reflected on how he wouldn’t really miss that lifestyle. It always gave him a cold, unwelcoming vibe.

Just seconds after Alex left the room, Miles’ eyes swung open. Then, he looked next to him and found the other’s side of the bed empty. It was unusual for Alex to wake up in the middle of the night; he usually fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Thinking about it, Miles had been noticing a strange change of his lover’s behaviour since earlier that night. The dancing in the living room, the fact he looked even more distracted than usual at the party... Alex felt like a completely different person. Miles couldn’t help but wonder what had happened that he was in such a good mood.

As he was just about to stand up to check on where Alex went, his phone rang. It was Carlos, one of the security guards of the club, telling him about some interesting footage on the CCTV. “Ye don’ have a fuckin’ watch, mate?” Miles laced into the mobile, irritated from the late disturbance. However, as the security guy described the matter further, he simply hearken “On ma way.” and terminated the call.

After hanging up he raised from the bed, immediately putting on some clothes and went into the living room, where he found Alex in front of the record shelf, scrolling over the albums as if he was looking for a specific one.

 

* * *

Alex’s wandering eyes had caught the record shelf and so he walked over to it, slowly dragging his finger along the spines of the countless albums, before he stopped at one. “White Noise” he whispered the title, before pulling it out. Matt and he had listened to this record a lot, even singing along sometimes. They had declared it ‘their’ album and so it held a very special place in Alex’s heart. He didn’t plan on playing it; he was rather looking for something he had hid in there just before he moved in with Miles.

After he removed the circle shaped vinyl and lied it aside he shakes the outer sleeve, he prayed in his mind: ‘Please be there!’ until a small piece of paper sailed out of it. ‘YES!” he quickly put back the record and was about to look for the paper on the floor as the lights turned on.

“Ali, baby?” it was Miles standing in the door between the bedroom and living room. He didn’t look happy as he made his way over to the older.

The latter didn’t even had time to answer before Miles narrowed his eyes to the floor and bent over, his attention now fixed on the small note Alex was looking for. ‘Oh no!’ being the only thing the older can think.

“What’s this?” Miles crumpled the paper in his hand, after reading the short message on it. It didn’t seem as if he suspected it to be something related to Alex, so he simply discarded the paper in a nearby bin and continued his way over to his boyfriend.

“Ye should stop buying those old used records.” he then declared, while reaching out for Alex.

The older wasn’t sure why, but he got the feeling that something was off.

Miles just smiled softly at him “I gotta go, be a good boy and go back to bed.” he then said, before cupping Alex’s face. The latter immediately tensed up, as Miles approached him. When his boyfriend kissing him dominantly, he was even more disturbed, since he was more used to short meaningless pecks as ‘Goodbyes’ rather than deep kisses like this.

Alex had no idea what was going on, but his odd feeling didn’t go away.

*

Alex decided to listen to the record after all, he was alone now anyways. As expected, it brought back all his memories, but finally after one year he could enjoy them. He was sitting on the wide windowsill, watching the cars cutting lines through the night. With his phone in his hand, he was hoping Matt would call before Miles came back home. However, neither of that happened and after hours of waiting and listening to the record back and forth, Alex fell asleep just as the sun erased the darkness of the night.

*

Shortly after that night Miles had gone on a business trip, leaving Alex alone with himself. At first the latter was excited since it would give him the chance to meet up with Matthew, finally being able to explain everything to him, so over the next few days Alex stayed basically glued to his phone, not leaving it out of sight for even a second.

But there was no call, no message, nothing that could indicate any kind of interest from Matt.

Although Alex didn’t want to lose hope, he felt his heart getting heavier with the passing days. He couldn’t help but feel like a fool when he finally realized that there was a possibility that he may had fallen into a one-sided love with Matthew.

The more time passed the more Alex caught up with disappointment; he really thought that Matt would keep his word, instead he just ran away. For the second time. It started to anger him that the other abandoned him yet again. Was he so worthless that Matt didn’t even bother to give him a heads up on what was going on? He didn’t want to believe that someone who was supposedly his friend could just do something like this without even caring about his feelings. This thought kept him awake at night, gnawing on his heart and inciting his irritation.

After almost a week he got to a point where Matt's silence was too much to be tolerated and he decided to look for the other. All that time he believed that Matt had left Liverpool for good... How could he find him if he didn’t even know where he went, he could have gone anywhere. But things changed, he now was certain that the younger was back in town. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again, this time he wouldn’t just accept the other’s behavior.

He needed clarity, even though he wasn’t sure if he could handle the truth. Was he really so wrong about Matthew? Was he actually someone completely different from who Alex thought he was?

  
With all those questions haunting his mind he sat down in front of his computer, rummaging through his mind trying to grasp on anything that could help him find the other, until his mind caught something: the interview. He started googling all the scrapyards in liverpool, all the way up to Southport. He was so determined that Jamie, who was instructed to watch his every step, felt his curiosity - as well as his concern - spiking up.

After catching Alex at the office in the club with a rumpled quiff, he first noticed that something was going on. Then, when he found him several times that week - dressed only in an sheer opened kimono, revealing some faint lovebites - sleeping at the desk, websites upon websites about scrapyards opened, he started to join the dots. Someone would have to be blind to not see what was happening: Alex was obviously looking for someone and it seemed urgent.

When he yet again found Alex completely troubled over his failure of not making any process with his search for Matthew, Jamie finally decided to get involved.

Jamie couldn’t help but see a lot of himself in Alex. His protégé was just as innocent as he was at the time he first met Miles, causing him to make mistakes he would regret for the rest of his life. He felt as if he needed to protect Alex, so the same wouldn’t happen to him.

He waited for a good moment to suggest his aid to Alex. The younger was more than happy to accept the offer and though he didn’t get into detail, he made sure to clarify what exactly he needed.

Jamie didn’t agree with Miles’ methods most of the time, but had personal reasons to keep working for his current boss. Before he could break ties with him he had to take care of his debts, caused by a succession of unfortunate events involving Miles himself. He knew that what he was doing could result in consequences for both of them, but he went for it anyways. Risky as it was, he would still be fulfilling his duty of taking care of Alex’s concerns.

Taking mental notes about all that was said, Jamie started to do his own research. Knowing a few people as well as places in Liverpool, that were far out of Alex’s range, it didn’t take the bodyguard long to find out what happened to Matt, especially considering he knew his boss much better than Alex did. Only two days later he was able to report back to the younger.  


“I know where Helders is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! :3  
> Sorry I just love them too much to not do them ^_^  
> I hope you liked the chapter!
> 
> Please also make sure to check out Gabi's SNS outlets: [tumblr](http://esparafuso.tumblr.com/) and [Insta](https://www.instagram.com/esparafusoart/)  
> As well as mine: [tumblr](http://arctic505-ao3.tumblr.com/) and [Insta](https://www.instagram.com/arctic505_ao3/)


	5. Echoes of a Fairy Tale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final Chapter!  
> Just in time for Christmas an extra action filled and juicy Chapter!  
> I am so thankful for everyone reading and Kudoing (?XD) this Fic! <3  
> Your guys' support means so much to me!  
> As always I created a little BGM Playlist for you! (Just click the link and it will lead you there.):  
> [BGM - FOP Chapter 4](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9hu_W-WCo5SZD0ffGXwRujexJoGj5GH-)
> 
> Please enjoy! :3

Matt's POV of Previous events:

While making his way back home with his motorcycle, it was hard for Matt to wrap his head around the events of the night. Everything just seemed so unreal, as if he was caught up in a dream of his deepest longings. Alex looked so different, his hair, his clothes... If it wasn’t for his smell, warmth and voice, Matt would have been sure it was some other person. Even when he arrived at the scrapyard he swore he still felt the pleasant weight of the other on his thighs.

For once it wasn’t the loud music still ringing in his ears, but the moans of the man he loved; bittersweet echoes of a fairy tale he never thought would come true. What were the odds of this night to be the one to bring his heart back to a heated beat?

His mind was still busy losing itself in the recent memories when insomnia got the best of him, robbing Matt of his much needed sleep. He stayed like this for hours, until his body was too exhausted and finally gave in to his fatigue.

It was only when he heard a loud knock on the door, followed by his boss’ voice that he got to wake up in the morning.

“You up, Helders? Got a special one for you.” the tall American called from the other side of the door, before audible trudging away.

Matt slowly raised up from the bed and took in a deep breath, mentally preparing for the day ahead of him after such dreamy, but restless, night. Hoping to get his energy back, Matt took a brisk shower and made himself some coffee, soon he was ready to head out to work. It turned out that the ‘special one’ mentioned earlier was an urgent repair his boss set him up for.

It proved itself to be a hard one - a crashed motorcycle with a few pieces missing - and took the mechanic the whole day to complete its repairs. The indicators on the clock notified him that it was well past midnight when he wiped of the dark gooey motor-oil from his hands, forearms and cheeks.

He almost felt like a teenager all over again, as he couldn’t take his mind off of Alex. Throughout the day his mind circled around the thought on how to contact Alex. What he should tell him, what he would think of him afterwards. He worried to make a fool out of himself, so he tried to calm down, thinking that a shower might could help him think a bit clearer. Better a little delayed than coming across as a nitwit.

It felt good when he was finally able to strip out of his sweaty overall. It was a hard day; the hot water brushing over his shoulders felt like heaven, although instead of helping him think it only made him more aware of how exhausted he was. Afterwards he still had no clue what to write, his phone in hand and the small note Alex gave him two nights before lazing on his bare chest he stared holes in the air bringing Alex’s image before his mental eyes, seeking inspiration on how to approach him. He tried many times to coax himself, that it was still the same Alex, his best friend from one year back, he didn’t believe himself though. It wasn’t the same person, beside his visual changes, Matt now knew that he actually had a romantic chance with him. Automatically his mind went back to the past night, reviewing what happened, ending up making him even more nervous as his heart beats sped up. With all his willpower he dragged himself out of it, focusing on the message, he wanted to send it before sleeping, so he shouldn’t waste any time.

Despite the simplicity of it, it took him a while to actually compose the invitation. He erased and rephrased the sentences over and over again, until he was at least partially satisfied with it:

<Hey Alex, sorry for the late message, I was stuck at work. Coffee tomorrow? M<

He kept staring at the message for a few moments, meaning to send it, but still unsure of it’s content. He didn’t realize how his eyes slowly lost focus, his exhaustion of the sleepless night triumphing over him and dragging him into a deep sleep.

For his hard work the day prior his boss had giving him the day off. The lack of sleep hit him harder than expected, as it was already early evening when he finally awoke, confused he looked around, finding his phone now accompanying the note on his chest. Realizing how much time he had lost by unwillingly falling asleep he started to panic. His frenzy also didn’t help him with his new problem: he had to rephrase the message again - since neither work nor coffee were logic anymore.

‘Bloody hell.’ he thought as he sat up, starring the mobile in his hand down, until he finally came up with a suitable message and sent it.

>Hey Alex, sorry for contacting you so late! Do you have time tonight? M<

 

* * *

 

As soon as Miles arrives at his establishment, he made his way over to his office, where two men from the security already waited for him. The club was completely empty, except for a few people from the cleaning company that Miles was used to ignore as long as they did a good job.

His computer was already turned on when he entered the small backroom.

“For your own good, I hope that what you implied on the phone is correct.” he snapped at the smaller of the two giants, as he sat down, opening the CCTV file.

During the first minutes his stare remained empty: there was nothing out of the ordinary happening and he started to think how he would punish those idiots for making him get there at that hour over nothing, when his eye finally caught his boyfriend walking past camera 2.  Alex was heading towards the private area behind the main dancefloor. Seconds later, another man with broad shoulders followed him.

Miles narrowed his eyes when he saw the two disappear behind his office’s door, the same he just walked into himself. He could feel blood rushing to his head as the minutes passed and they stayed inside, making it hard to deny what obviously was happening inside.  Disgusted by the facts, he simply scrolled through the timeline until he saw another sign of movement in the area. It was Jamie, knocking at the door a cellphone in hands.

Miles realizes that it must have been the time he called Alex. ‘That’s why he didn’t pick up his mobile.’ he comprehended, when the Alex on the screen exited the office and took the phone from Jamie. Miles couldn’t believe his eyes as his boyfriend then simply returned the phone to his bodyguard after a very short talk and once again disappeared into the room. Scrolling through the timeline again, he saw no sign that either Alex or the other man ever exited the room.

‘The back door.’ it shot through his mind.

“Do we know who that man is?” he addressed the security men, who exchanged some glances.

“We do. According to his credit card, his name is Matthew Helders, Sir.” the taller man answered with confidence.

“Good. Now, leave.” Miles instructed, waiting for them to obey.

Left alone in the room he got up and approached a nearby bookshelf, searching through the titles and stopping when found what he was looking for: a fake book, hollow on the inside, except for a small pouch with tiny purple pills in it. A haunting smile scurried over his face, as he took the Ziploc out of its hiding place and stuffed it into the pocket of his jacket.

On the way back to his car he reached for his phone and typed down a new message:

>It’s me. In 30 minutes at the “Berry & Rye”. Don’t be late.< he briefed into the device, before putting the phone back in his jacket.

*

It’s the next day’s morning when Miles arrived back at his apartment. He found Alex just how he left him - in the living room, with the record still playing on their turntable. He couldn’t help but smile softly. ‘Such an angel-face.’ he thought, brushing away the fringe of his boyfriend’s undone quiff.

“I’m home, sugar-bum. Time for breakfast.” he woke the other, while already moving towards the kitchen to make coffee for them.

Miles knew that Alex always needed quite some time to function, so he had plenty of it to go through with his plan. ‘You won’t get sullied anymore, my little angel. I will ensure that.’ he promised himself rather than Alex, as he took out one of the purple pills and calmly dissolved it into his lover’s coffee. A small fizzing sound chimed from the mug before the drug completely disappeared into the black abyss. Satisfied with his work, he took Alex’s and his own mug and walked back to the living room.

“Were ya gone all night?” the older asked him,coming from the bathroom and just re-entering the room

“Since when does it matter? But yes, there were important arrangements I needed to take care of in the studio.” Miles lied, pushing Alex to take his mug from him. “Drink, before it gets cold!” he added.

Miles didn’t even have to wait for the drug to show its effect on the other man. Just 5 minutes after Alex’s first sip the other was yet again asleep, though deeper this time and on the couch.

‘Perfect.’ he thought victorious, while placing a blanket over his boyfriend’s body and kissing his forehead. “Sleep well, little angel.” he whispered.

Placing his own mug on the coffee table he crouched next to the couch, carefully reaching into the other's pyjama pants’ pocket to withdraw his phone. He then sat on the armchair beside him, the mobile in hands. It wasn't the first time he looked through the other's messages, though Alex had no idea, that Miles knew the password to unlock the screen. So far there were no suspicious texts, but Miles knew that it was only a matter of time for the culprit to show himself. He put the phone on vibrate, and turned on the TV, watching one of the hundreds of stupid TV shows that were always on to distract himself until the time came.

When the sun was already set and Miles had just finished a sandwich he fixed himself in the kitchen, a knowing buzz resonated from the counter he left Alex’s phone on. ‘Finally’ he thought to himself, reaching for the phone to check the screen. The number was unknown, but the message made clear that it was “Matthew Helders” who sent it. “Well, well..” Miles spoke to himself, touching the reply button:

<10pm, same club? Can’t wait to see you! Al.>

After sending the message he went ahead, blocking the number and, deleting any trace of the written conversation, before putting the mobile back in the security of his cheating boyfriend’s pants.

*

Arriving in the club Matt was still very nervous about meeting Alex despite the fact that barely 48 hours passed since they last saw each other, he knew this meeting would decide their future relationship, causing him not be able to relax. Being 30 minutes early he chose to wait at the bar, ordering himself a Corona.

Almost a full hour passed, but Alex was still nowhere to be seen. It felt odd, since the older was usually very focused on being in time. Matt wasn’t in the mental state to think deeper into it, so he just pushed it off as being another one of Alex’s changes after the time they spent apart.

As he was just heading towards the washrooms to take a piss, a man bumped into him. “Sorreh, mate.” Matthew apologized, although he knew it wasn’t really his fault. Thinking the situation was handled with this, he proceeded on his way, until a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“Hey, dickhead!” the man who had barged into him less than a hot second ago stood behind him, refusing to let go.

‘What’s his fucking problem?’ Matt thought. He wasn’t up for any unnecessary trouble, so he simply turned around with a calm face.

“Wha’ dya want?” he asked, loud enough to be heard by the other, but without any aggression in his voice. Before he could react the other man came closer, forcing Matthew back into the wall behind him - and consequently making him realize that the guy was clearly after trouble.

“Fook off, mate!” he snarled, pushing him back away from himself. He didn’t take the man seriously, thinking he was just some drunk guy out of control.

It was lucky that Matt himself wasn’t drunk, since the old guy suddenly swung a punch at him, but missed as Matthew reacted just in time, causing the other’s fist to hit the wall. In agony he retreated shortly, shaking his injured hand. Even this didn’t make him stop, as he already came on to Matt again. Matthew who was still on edge, knowing Alex could arrive any minute had enough, now confronting the twat with a targeted punch. He took care to not score too hard, but effective enough to get rid of the man.

In all that trouble he didn’t notice two other man, closing up on him, until he felt encircled.

“Police! Don’t move!” threatened him.

“You are under arrest, everything you do or say can and will be used against you.” one of them then informed him, while the other secured handcuffs on his wrists.  


* * *

 

 

When Alex awoke again it was already deep night. Everything around him was dark and he thought he was alone, until he heard a sound coming from the kitchen.

“Miles?” he called out, “Yar there?” he went on, while standing up from the sofa. His whole body felt sore and kind of stiff, as he walked over to his boyfriend.

“Oh, you’re up. How do you feel sugar-bum?” Miles asked him with a dewy voice.

“I don’ know. Did I sleep the whole day?” Alex asked before getting some water from the fridge, still confused about the state of the body.

“You did indeed, maybe you are getting sick, you should go to bed, love.” he got as an answer and obeyed. He really didn’t feel like rebelling; actually he felt quite dizzy and a bit nauseous, so maybe Miles got a point about him being quite ill.

After he reached the bedroom he remembered what he was up to before he blacked out, memories of what happened the last night coming to him and making his heart race a bit in his chest as he searched his pockets for his phone. Sick or not, he was anxious to check if Matt contacted him. He felt like as if he heard a notification earlier, but as he unlocked the screen there was nothing, no missed calls or messages. ‘I must have dreamed it.’ He thought, lying down and falling right back into dreamland.

 

* * *

* * *

 

Following the last Chapter:

 

After finding out where Matthew was Jamie did further research to find out what really happened that night Matt got arrested. Miles didn’t really do a good job in covering up his actions, at least not in his inner circle. He didn’t need to either, since everyone knew what he was able to do, or relied on him, just as Jamie did. The bodyguard knew just how involved two officers of the local police department were with Miles. They regularly purchased various types of drugs from him, as well as covering up the musicians trafficking in the club.

It only took a quick call for Jamie to arrange a meet up. He told them Miles - who meanwhile had left for a “business trip” - wanted the files on the arrest of “Matthew Helders”. The two men seemed dumb, or drugged enough to believe his story and so they gave him everything he needed, to provide Alex with answers. He knew that the informations he collected were harsh, but it was what his protégé had asked him for.

Alex was shocked to learn what happened to Matt and couldn’t believe the soft and kind man he just reunited with a week prior would do such a thing. Of course they talked about the first arrest and what led to it, but he always believed Matthew’s reasoning on why all that happened back then.

After listening to Alex’s thoughts Jamie also told him about Miles’ involvement in the arrest and made him realize that he was right. It wasn’t Matthew who was to blame, but his soon to be ex.

All the collected anger from the past days vanished into thin air, making space for concern for his friend, and the strong will to find the truth. The fact that Miles had done all this didn’t really shock him though, he already knew that his boyfriend was not who he pretended to be. For the longest times Alex just ignored it or pushed that fact away, fearing it would resolve into being left behind again. These apprehensions were gone the moment he realized, just how much he felt for Matt; much more than he ever did for Miles.

That same night Alex went to the club he knew there was no time to waste, he needed to make use of Miles’ absence. Arriving at the scene he went straight to the office, as always the door was unlocked and so he sneaked in, taking care not to be spotted by the security men. Thanks to Jamie he knew of the CCTVs around the building, however since that’s what he was going for anyways it was not of his concern. He could just delete the footage of himself sneaking in later, if he needed to.

“Come on, come ON!” he cursed at the stupid old PC until the dirty device finally turned on. He felt like he needed an alibi, just in case someone walked in, so he quickly opened a game of “Solitaire”, while the CCTV folder was loading in the videos from the past 2 weeks. He was just in time to look for the files, as they were only saved for 15 days. Scowling through the files he found the one from the night Matt and he met, as well as the following 2 nights. He knew it would be too risky to watch the videos right then and there, but he was prepared, quickly extracting his mini flash drive from the tight pockets of his leather-pants, plugging it into the computer under the table. That’s when an oddly placed drawer in the back of the desk caught his attention. It was clearly hidden and so Alex couldn’t help but investigate it.

Inside the small hiding space he found phone numbers, tracking details, names as well as relying bank account data and what they were for – drugs.

“What the hell?!” he gasped, when he almost hit his head as he attempted to sit up under the table top. He knew that Miles kept secrets and maybe even was a bad man, but he would have never guessed that his soon to be ex was involved in such business, not only that but leading it. Acting fast Alex took photos of the documents and stuffing them back into the drawer. He hoped the files would be done soon as well.

Right in that moment the door opened and his heart sank into his stomach.

“Alex?” he heard a familiar voice – Miles’.

Desperately he locked around, hoping to find something to excuse his crouching, when a pen lying on the floor next to the PC proofed to be his life-belt. With a careful movement he unplugged his USB, with one hand, picking up the stationary with the other, before coming back up from underneath the desk.

“Miles!” he called out, faking a wide smile as he jumped into the arms of the other. He couldn’t risk to be uncovered, making him need to pretend that he missed Miles - just until he could view the videos and potentially get Matt out of jail.

“Missed ya so mooch!” he mumbled into Miles’ shoulder, then kissing the younger’s cheek. He hoped Miles would buy it, and he seemingly did, after Alex explained he was under the desk to pick up a pen he accidently knocked down while playing.

“I missed you too, sugar-bum!” he answered after being satisfied, believing that his plan of breaking Matt and Alex up worked perfectly. “Let’s go have dinner!” he continued, placing his arm around Alex’s lean shoulders.

“I realleh want, but ‘am so tired.” Alex moaned, facing Miles with deer-eyes. “I think I joost wanna go ‘ome ‘n sleep.” he added while yawning. He was never good in acting, but was confidence in his sweet-talk.

It seemed to be his lucky day, since the other told him he understood and would call him a ride. Miles himself would have dinner with some business-partners.

Alex nodded, while trying to hide his excitement that he got away with it.

To cover up any potential doubts of his boyfriend he engaged him into a deep passionate kiss, which took all his self-control to pull off, knowing that the man he loves was behind bars because of him.

*

The following days Alex did everything to find all the evidence he could. It wasn’t easy sneaking around Miles thanks to the big network around him and the fact that they lived together. If it wasn’t for that he would have been able to get Matthew out much earlier. He was relieved, however, that he still could use the record store as an excuse to disappear every now and then. If the store didn’t belong to his uncle he would have lost that justification a long time ago.

Then, 8 days after finding out about Matt’s situation he finally collected enough proof to seek contact with the head of the police department. Pretending to go to work he met up with Chief O’Malley and presented him with all he gathered. He was fortunate enough, that O’Malley already kept an eye on the two officers involved in this case and was just as interested in it as Alex’s needed him to be, in order to get it through fast.

Fearing that Miles could find out about their scheming Alex had given Jamie's phone number to O'Mally. Finally, after agonizing days of waiting for the call of the Chief, Jamie's phone finally rang.  


* * *

 

 

Miles had no clue of what was going on behind his back, he was convinced that his life was back to normal, so he went to the office of the club, preparing for a meet up with a new dealer, as he realized that something with his transaction papers just wasn’t right. They were out of order, some upside down, almost as if someone handled them in hectic. It immediately became clear to him who that must have been, it boiled up the blood in his veins. Shooting up from his chair he was just about to grab his jacket, when the door gets busted in, a group of heavily guarded policeman entering the room.

“On the ground! Hands on your back!”

*

Just a few days later Miles was sentenced to 25years in prison. He was found guilty for several cases of mayhem – as well as for drugging Alex -, possession and trafficking of illegal substances, tax fraught, false accusation against an innocent man and last but not least corruption of federal officers. It took Alex all his bravery to go to court and testify against him. Not because he was afraid of him, more so because he needed to face the demons he pushed off all that time in his mind, by closing his eyes from reality.

 

* * *

 

Matthew offered to accompany him, however Alex didn’t think that it would be wise to do that and so Jamie went with him, promising to drop him off at “Death Ramps” afterwards.

While Alex gave his testimony in court Matt faced his own shadow – contacting his parents. He knew his ‘father’ wouldn’t care what happened to him or where he were, but he liked to believe his mother did and so after a few nervous rounds in his room he dialled the number.

After just one ring he heard the soft female voice >Hello?<

“It’s me.. Matt. Erhm.. I.. I will move. Erhm.. I joost.. wanted to let ya know. Maybe send ya the address later, if ya’d fancy it?” he mumbled into the small device.

>Matthew! Oh dear god! How are ya, sweetie?< his mother answered, concerned and loving as always. >I worried so mooch about ya. Please send me the address and… don’t hesitate to call, honey, whenever ya need me.< she then added, her voice shaking from emotions.

Matt promised, touched by her words – for the longest time he thought both his parents were better off without him, but hearing his mother’s voice made him realize that he still meant something to her - that she still loved him. They talked for about an hour about everything that happened in the two years, since they last saw each other. It was an emotional but much needed call, for both of them. Matt promised he would stay in touch, when they finally hung up.

Minutes later and like on cue Alex returned. Matthew asked him how it went, telling him to not spare him of details. Of course the older told him, also mentioning the generous indemnification Miles was sentenced to pay them.

“I think we should give mine to Cook.” the younger said his eyes fixed on Alex. “Without him I wouldn’t be here right now.” he then added with a genuine smile on his face.

Alex wasn’t surprised by his decision, feeling touched by it. “That is a beautiful thought! Let’s put them together!” he agreed with his friend. Despite the fact, that he neglected his work in his uncle’s record store in the past months he still got a regular income from renting his parent’s house to the old couple. They didn’t need to worry about money, but Alex knew that Jamie would and so he felt that this would be the perfect “Thank you” for his bodyguard-turned-friend.

*

After concluding their Liverpool life Matt introduced him to his machine.

“Ya ready to hit the road with me?” he grinned, fire of excitement burning in his eyes as he looked in anticipation at his friend.

“With this?” Alex asked, acting unsure, he couldn’t hold up his façade for long though and a wide smile decorated his face. “Of course! What a beautiful machine!” he answered stepping closer to inspect the Honda further. “Did ya really make this?” he went on, looking at Matt with astonishment.

Proud of his work Matthew nodded, signalizing Al to wait there. He ran back inside, hiding something behind his back when he came back out.

“Tada!” he grinned, revealing a silver-metallic helmet, sparkling in the sun. “Come on, try it!” he applied, giving the headgear to the older.

It fitted perfectly, their journey could finally begin. They had decided that it would be for the best to leave Liverpool behind, moving up north, far away from all that happened and giving them a chance for a fresh start.

Together.

*

As a last appreciation Matthew's boss connected him with his friend - the owner of a repair-shop called "Matador". It was only with reluctance that he let his best man go. After a short farewell from him they hit they finally hit the road.

It was only a 6 hours ride to ‘Aberdeen’ and they were positive they could make it up there before midnight. The last evening sun was standing low over their heads, playing a game of hot and cold with the wind. It was the perfect weather, until they passed “Glasgow”. The night already broke over them, which wouldn’t be a problem, if it wasn’t for the threatening noise of thunder. Deep dark clouds hung above them ominous to shower them with heavy rain.

They had already accepted their fate when a motel sign pop up behind a corner. “Perfect!” Matt called out, so Alex could hear, pointing at the sign. The older just patted his shoulder, to signalize his consent. Just as the storm broke loose they parked the motorcycle under a small porch and ran through the rain to the little office to get a room. Luck was on their side - there was one last room available.

Being a gentlemen Matthew let Alex take a shower first. He didn’t want to risk that his fragile friend could potentially catch a cold. He himself striped down to his underwear and lied down on the bed - under the covers - trying to get warm, while listening to the rain tapping on the window’s glass.

His arms crossed behind his head he stared at the ceiling, feeling like in a dream, he finally was with the man he loved, far away from all what happened, free and happy. The feeling of ease overwhelming him, he slipped in a light doze.

When Alex left the bathroom he found his friend sleeping peacefully. It was rare for him to see the other this way, not only because they didn’t see each other in a long time, but also because Matt was always alert, slept after him and woke up earlier. The only time he saw him like this was when they first met and he was taking care of the younger. It made him feel a little nostalgic, but he could not ignore just how sexy Matthew looked, his chest partially exposed, ribcage slowly rising and falling.

As silent as possible he made his way over to the light switch to turn it off, before climbing on top of Matt:

“Maffew..” he whispered in the younger’s ear, after leaning down close to it. When he didn’t get a reaction he started playfully nibbling on his earlobe. Maybe it was egoistic of him to wake his friend, but just seeing him like this amplified his longing, making it impossible for him to resist.

Ghostly he let his mouth wander down to Matt’s neck, kissing and sucking the soft skin, leaving scattered love-bites behind. His fondling seemed to do the trick, as Matthew started shifting, letting out a small giggle.

“It tickles..” he then complained half-hearted.

Not taking him serious Alex continued, moving on to Matt’s left collarbone, following its shape with his tongue. A smirk formed on his lips, when he heard a pleasured groan, but was taken by surprise feeling Matt’s strong hands on his hips, turning him over to now being the one to lie on the mattress. A squeak escaped his mouth before he was shut up by a passionate kiss, feeling the younger’s tongue parting his lips. He welcomed it with his own, sliding together, in and out of their mouths, until both men were left breathless.

Caught in the moment Matthew searched for Alex’s wrist, bringing them up above his head, securing them with one hand, with the other finally stripping those beautiful hips of the flannel towel. Encouraged by Alex’s approving moans, he slowly disconnected their lips, continuing to scatter kisses all over his jaw and neck, processing downwards playfully licking and sucking on his nipples. He then used his free hand to start drawing imaginative lines down his torso, until he reached Alex’s cock, pushing him over the edge of self-control.

Cautiously he took the other’s member in his strong hand twisting up and down in one fluid motion, coaxing dewy moans and curses out of Alex. Slowly he let the others wrists go, brushing with his digits over the hardened nipple.

“Maffew..” Alex gasped bringing his hand down to the younger’s shoulder.

Matt looked up just in time to see a flash of lightning reflect in the other’s deep brown eyes.  

When he felt Alex’s hand on his chest, with a firm motion pushing him back, he got worried that he might have read the older's reactions wrong.

They had been so busy with all that was going on that they didn’t have a chance to talk about their relationship until that point.

He realized quickly that his concerns were unsubstantiated when he just seconds later felt the older finding space in between Matt's legs.

Without hesitation Alex bend forward, pulling down Matthew’s trunks and letting his tongue slide from root to head of the younger’s dick.

Dazed by the sensation Matt threw his head back, barely lying it on the end of the bed. Before he even could grasp a solid thought he felt Alex’s warm mouth embracing the head, while his tongue played along the shaft.

Dangerously close to lose his mind he took a hand full of the older’s still slightly wet hair, gasping in bliss. When he thought it couldn’t get any better he heard a noise - something he couldn’t quite identify, until the pleasant heat was replaced by the dewy, slightly sticky lube, coming from a little bottle Alex had magically let appear – seemingly out of nowhere.

“Woah..” Matt huffed, caused by the change of temperature. “Did ya plan on this? … Naughty” he then added while propping up his upper body on his forearms to get a better view.

Taking in a deep breath Alex positioned himself above Matthew’s hard cock, stabilising himself on its head, slowly taken it in, holding on a second to get used to it.

“Ya so big..” he then moaned, feverishly trying to support himself, until he felt Matt steadying him with his hands.

“Ya ok?” the younger asked, concerned as always.

“Yes, please… fill me oop.” was all that Al managed to exhale beneath heavy breathes, while pushing himself downwards, moderately, making Matt’s whole length disappear.

“Ya feel so good!” his hands still on Alex, he gently started lifting the other up with his own hips, only to let him sink down again in the next moment. “Touch yerself.” he told Alex, while intensifying his thrust deep into Alex’s arse, making him crumble and wheeze in ecstasy.

They both were waiting so long for this moment, yet barely could control themselves any longer.

“Maffew.. together..” Alex pressed out, frantically clawing into Matt’s thighs.

“Fuuuck..” the younger groaned, when he felt the rhythm of Alex’s pulsing inside contracting around his member, taking him in even deeper and pushing him to the edge of madness.

“Yes, Al.. come on!” he huffs, both men reaching their climax in a firework of sweat and lust.

*

As they lied down, the younger wrapped his arm around the lean shoulders of his friend.

Even the border of justification to call themselves “just friends” was crossed a long time ago.

A topic they would have to talk about another time.

For now, there were so many other things Matt wanted to tell Alex: how amazing he felt, how much he loved him and how happy he was, however no words seemed worthy of his true emotions and so silence broke upon them. Wanting to just take in the sound of the thunder and Matt's wildly beating heart Alex closed his eyes.

When Matt looked down into the peaceful face of the older he realized that he didn’t need to say anything, the moment was perfect the way it was. Their heavy breaths, the tapping of the rain and them, just lying twined up in each other.

Thinking the other fell asleep Matt turned, caressing Alex’s silky cheek with the back of his fingers and leaned in closer to softly brush his lips over the other’s forehead.

“I love you.” he whispered, his voice shaking as he finally said it.

“Me too.” he heard an answer he was not expecting, before Alex leaned in for a final “goodnight” kiss.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~The End~  
> I can't believe how fast that month went by, and with it the Fic!  
> I didn't think I would finish it so fast >_< (Will miss the babies ㅠㅜ)
> 
> Ps.:  
> I want to thank [Esparafuso](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Esparafuso/pseuds/Esparafuso) for her hard work and strong support for this Fiction!
> 
> Please give her some love on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/esparafusoart/) or/and [tumblr](http://esparafuso.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can also find me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/arctic505_ao3/) or/and [tumblr](http://arctic505-ao3.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Hope to see you all again in the next Fiction! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Did you guys like it? :)  
> Please leave any kind of suggestions or constructive criticism in the comments below ( Its the only way I can improve~ ♡).
> 
> Also: For all of you who are new: I have an Instagram Acc related to the FF's I post here. If you like you can follow me, the ID is: [arctic505_ao3](https://www.instagram.com/arctic505_ao3/)


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